The Nassau County Museum of Art (NCMA) opened their new exhibit "FDR and the WPA Era: Art Across America" with a special preview night for its corporate sponsors on Thursday, Aug. 12. John Gutleber, president and CEO of Castagna Realty greeted the guests in his guise as chairman of the corporate committee saying, "Welcome to this great networking event."

The new exhibit at the museum tells of a country at the moment of disaster and with the triumphs that the disaster created as people worked together to make things happen. NCMA executive director and co-curator of the exhibit, Constance Schwartz said before the Civil War there was little documentation of history. The camera first came into use at that time, and how it changed the way life was seen, as did the WPA program. The exhibit shows the works created under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Works Project Administration. "It gave artists the opportunity to become government employees. They documented the Americans suffering from the depression. This exhibit shows the triumphs and destitution of those people," she said.

The exhibit includes the work of Jackson Pollock and his painting Going West; Paul Cadmus, The Fleet's In; Reginald Marsh, Coney Island Beach; Raphael Soyer, The Waiting Room; Isaac Soyer, Bathers; Robert Gwathmey, The Hitchhiker; Adolph Gottlieb, Swimming Hole; Agnes Tait, Skating in Central Park and many others.

Franklin Perrell, co-curator of the show explained the artwork was created between 1933 and 1943. Artists working in the Federal Art Program created three to four thousand murals (including those in the post offices of Great Neck, Oyster Bay and Garden City), educated 200,000 children in community programs and had school apprenticeships in textiles, design and research.

He asked, "How in a great depression did government take the authority to divert money from the starving and apply it to the arts? It was a reflection of the personality and brilliance of FDR. He shared what he knew, that there is more to life than food and drink: that it was important to nurture the soul, that spiritual and mental values were most important. In 1933 the people only had hope."

He said that was the impetus of FDR's famous speech: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." As a result of the stock market crash in 1929 the whole economy shrank: money, jobs, food - there was not enough to go around as the country faced the Depression. When he was elected, President FDR carried every state except for Vermont and Maine in the election. In his first 100 days he created The New Deal.

"FDR put the nation back to work at a cost of billions that would be trillions in today's economy," he said. He built bridges and schools, hospitals, Jones Beach and the Triboro Bridge. The infrastructure of our economy was laid out by those programs, he said, as was the future of the art world as the working artists were able to continue creating art.

Mr. Perrell said, "We had a sense that by educating people and by working together we could create a better world or it would be worse in the long run. He saved the United States from Communism or Fascism, the totalitarian forms of governments that other countries took as a way to save themselves."

NCMA executive director and co-curator of the exhibit Constance Schwartz explained how important corporate sponsors are to the museum. "This is the 15th anniversary of the museum. It seems as if it started yesterday and all of a sudden we grew," she said. That growth is the result of listening to people and entities as they reached out as a cultural organization that is used for educational purposes. They are accredited by the NYS Board of Regents as is a university. "We are like a college with our teaching authority," she said.

Ms. Schwartz said that today, the demographics of Long Island are changing with a mix of African Americans, Asians, Latinos and Caucasians that are all "moving forward neck and neck. We are plugging in to serve everyone - every group. We are encouraging the economy, education and a love of the environment - with our 145 acre green park. We have been gifted with 167 pieces of Latin Art. We focus on different kinds of learning that helps to control bullying, make people more tolerant, and fosters ways of adding respect to other people."

The museum serves 30,000 school children annually, as Ms. Schwartz explained: "In somebody's house that is now an exhibit site. The grounds hold 45 major sculptures, the garden was renovated at a cost of $1million - and is great for weddings and corporate events." (She was hinting that the site is available for rental events. For information call the museum at 484-9338, and ask for Fran Diesu at ext. 15.) "We need your support," she said.

There are new outreaches for the museum which include: a partnership with the National Center for Disabilites, a senior citizen program for helping them access the collection; help for mothers and children to get around the grounds; and kiosks at sculptures to help educate the public on that art form.

"We can't do it without your money. We need your sponsorship help." She said as a result of the museum, "This is an enriched community. The museum brings more tourism and more business and helps where our children are growing up. "They have to know so much more than when we were young," she said.

The exhibit is enhanced by a five part series of lectures by Franklin Perrell; a tour and tea with executive director and chief curator Constance Schwartz; a lecture on the songs and stories of the great depression by Shirley Romaine. Call the museum at 484-9337 for information on the events. The museum is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.